Do you have an inner wild nature child buried deep within you? I believe we all do! After all, the great outdoors in our younger years sparked imagination, adventure, wonder, curiosity, and so much more. As adults, we tend to lose some of that magic in the day-to-day grind.
But I’m opening the doorway back to it! My ideas will nudge your inner wild nature child out of hiding. And once memories and nostalgia return too, well-being and joy are sure to follow.
So, read on and let’s be young, fun, and free once more!
Talk to the Animals
The academy award-winning song from Dr. Doolittle, “Talk to the Animals,” is replaying in my head as I write.
As a child, we do talk to the animals! We also imagine that they can respond back to us in creative ways. And if you weren’t big on imagination as a child (which I simply can’t imagine!), then picture books introduced you to so many talking animals.
So, I say go outside, find a few critters or beasts, and converse away. It’s less expensive than hiring a therapist. And the language of presence between animals and humans is so healing.
I do have to confess that some of my neighbors consider me a bit odd. That’s because I will stop on my evening walk and talk to deer. But hey, it helps me!
Click the following post to read about my profound connection to deer.
A Deer, a Dream, & the Birth of Summer.
Dusk Magic
As a girl, I spent countless hours mesmerized at dusk by fireflies. And I also enjoyed catching them! I shudder to think now of how I’d place them in a jar (at least I was humane enough to poke holes in the lid).
Enter dusk sometime, and see what you can find. If not a firefly, locate something enchanting you loved as a child. And if you can touch it, do so! If not, study it from afar. Remember the magic!
Be a Daredevil
Ok, I’m not advocating doing something that will land you in the hospital. But do you remember the risks you took as a child?
My cousins and I used old metal 1970’s tray tables as sleds. We then wandered deep into the woods to create rugged trails, and whoosh we went! Sure, we bumped along tree roots and, at times, hit the occasional tree. But we all made it out with enough thrills and chills to fuel us up for the rest of the day! OK, and perhaps with a few minor injuries. (Please let it be noted that I showed real restraint here by not detailing our swinging rope and gully escapades.)
So, my point is even if you merely go outside and relive via memory some of your daredevil days…DO IT!
Twinkie in the Mud
Do you remember what it felt like as the warm sun splashed your face while oozing and smooshing mud through your fingers? It seemed heavenly to me!
OK, confession time…my mom never let me have sweets unless it was my birthday. So, my imagination dreamed a mud pie into a twinkie, or a ho ho, or a Little Debbie snack cake. 😁 But apart from that the mud was still a gooey, zen-like, fabulous playtime event for me.
Go find some mud and feel what I mean if you aren’t convinced.
Savor the Sweet
Were you a deviant child like me? I liked to nibble things outside, and this ranged from grass, to dirt, to something far more sweet, honeysuckles.
I know my childhood profile is skewing ever the more strange as a I write. But I promise if there’s a honeysuckle available to you, lick it! The sweet taste of childhood will return.
Bewitching the Wind
Can you go back to the time when the wind danced for you? I could spend hours mesmerized by how wind gusts played with nature’s finery. Trees. Flowers. Grass. It didn’t matter what it was, I was there, enchanted. In fact, the wind hypnotized me, a symphony to my young ears. Often, I danced and moved with its bewitching spell.
Make time to wind watch. It will bring you to a meditative state, and also rekindle whimsy. And if your feet tell you to do so, dance, spin, smile!
Renovate the Sand
Next time you take a trip to the ocean, ditch the book and dig into the sand. The sensory experience is calming, and it sparks the beach-loving-you from yesteryear.
Now, create something even more spectacular than you did as a child!
Bugging Out
Strip away every fact you’ve ever read about bugs. Then, return to your young brain. I’m quite sure it was inquisitive and creative all at once. Now, go look for some bugs!
Ants fascinated me as a child. I could sit and watch them for hours at a time. While doing so, questions arose. Do they have names? And if so, how do they remember all those names? Why are some hills bigger than others? Do they ever have friends come over to play? Will they ever play? What about sleep?
Do this! Revisit your innocent mind and study the tiny world of wonder around you. And if you have young ones, truly chuckle at their novel questions about bugs.
Refresh in the Rain
Rain is nature’s readymade shower. As a kid, I rarely bathed. I was a tomboy, and it didn’t appeal to me. However, I treasured a good downpour and being a part of it.
Can you remember days spent playing in the rain as a child? Go outside without the crutch of an umbrella. Then, allow the clouds to drench your inner wild nature child with nostalgia.
I promise you will feel refreshed! And if you’re having tough times, it can feel like hope’s baptism.
Be a Kid with Your Dog
This is quite easy, as I’m sure any dog owner does this on a daily basis. However, as you’re playing fetch, or what have you, imagine yourself as a child.
How much more energy do you have to give your pet? Run with your dog. Roll around on the ground. Be a kid again!
Your dog will either look at you as if you’re a loon (mine sometimes does), or wag its tail fiercely in joy. Be that joy in action!
Telescope It Up
Do you recall how you experienced nightfall as a child? It was packed with twinkling stars, a chummy moon, and the most magical kind of darkness.
If you have a telescope, unpack it and gaze at nighttime’s grandeur. If you don’t, simply go outside, and dream beneath the sky’s sweet candlelight. Make a wish!
It can still come true…
My dear friend @eberhardgrossgasteiger took this starry-eyed shot.
Bask in Your Child
This is self-explanatory. Children possess a freedom in nature that is undeniable. They don’t have to think about being present. They ARE present.
Study your child in the great outdoors, and allow her/him to be your tour guide. Then, reclaim the fun, and play with your mini-me from your inner child’s perspective.
I promise your son or daughter will LOVE it! My daughter adores when I do this! Not only does it promote my well-being; but it connects me more deeply to her.
I hope my list has inspired your inner wild nature child to rustle around, urging you outdoors. Nature is one of the closest things we have to timelessness. A trip into her terrain is well worth the visit!
My wish for you is that warm wild magical memories from childhood flood you, and new ones are created in sweet presence.
My Wild Nature-Loving Pack
Here’s an old school photo of my sisters and cousins. We spent MOST of our time outdoors playing imaginatively. And this was bliss! I dedicate my post to the wonder of us.
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Click eberhard grossgasteiger to find more of his soulful nature photography.
Here’s a picture of Eberhard as a boy! He is the elder nature lover.
